Miss Clare Pekin1, Joanne Isbel1, Hilary Rono1, Hannah Brumm1
1Quitline, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
The team at Quitline represent allied health clinicians including psychologists.
Abstract:
Background:
Vaping use is common in Australia, where rates have tripled from 2019 to 2023. There remains a gap in evidence-based supports for people seeking to quit vaping. To address this Quitline Queensland established a model of care to support people from priority populations who vape to access intensive quit support.
Method:
An evaluation was conducted to review the effectiveness of vaping cessation support. Quitline Queensland has provided intensive quit support from 2017 to 2025 for select priority populations. The model of care includes 12 weeks of telephone counselling in combination with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The eligibility for the program expanded in March 2023 to include client’s vaping from select priority populations. Quitline Queensland’s model of care for assessing nicotine dependency in tobacco users was adapted for vaping. Clients are considered suitable for NRT treatment if they vape within 30 minutes of waking or have a history of withdrawal symptoms.
Results:
An evaluation of the vaping cessation program found 11% of program participants (N = 656) sought support for vaping cessation only. Of these, 110 clients who completed the program in the previous three months were sent an SMS evaluation asking 7-day vaping point prevalence. The vaping cessation rate calculation for this group was 31% (N = 34), which assumes 95% of people who did not respond (N = 72) were still vaping.
Conclusion:
Opportunities for allied health professionals to support vaping cessation are discussed. Ways to extend and future model of care and research opportunities are discussed.